"Turkish Stream" - what you need to know about the main gas pipeline from Russia to Turkey
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- "Turkish Stream" - what you need to know about the main gas pipeline from Russia to Turkey
On Monday, January 13, it became known that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) attempted to attack the Russkaya compressor station in Anapa, through which gas is supplied via the Turkish Stream gas pipeline. Nine drones were sent to strike the facility, all of which were shot down by the Russian air defense system (Air Defense System). Read about what is the "Turkish Stream" and what significance it has for international energy security in the material of "Izvestia".
"Turkish Stream" - what it is and where it is located
"Turkish Stream" - an export pipeline for the supply of "blue fuel" from Russia to Turkey and neighboring countries. It consists of two parallel strings with a total capacity of 31.5 billion cubic meters (15.75 billion cubic meters each). The first one supplies gas to Turkey, while the second one supplies Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Greece and other southern and southeastern European countries.
The starting point of Turkish Stream is the Russkaya compressor station located near the city of Anapa in the Krasnodar Territory. The gas pipeline route ends near the Turkish settlement of Kyıyıköy. Most of it (over 930 kilometers) runs along the Black Sea bed. The deepest point of pipe laying is located at a depth of 2.2 thousand meters.
In 2020, the volume of natural gas supplies via Turkish Stream amounted to 13.51 billion cubic meters. At the same time, according to the European Network of Natural Gas Transmission System Operators (ENTSOG), in 2024 this figure will reach 15.4 billion cubic meters, showing a 6% growth compared to the previous year.
"Turkish Stream" - history of construction and significance
The Turkish Stream gas pipeline project was approved in December 2014 during Russian President Vladimir Putin 's visit to Ankara. It became an alternative to the South Stream project, which Moscow refused to implement due to disagreements with the European Union. At the same time, Gazprom and Turkey's Botas Petroleum Pipeline Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the construction of the international gas pipeline.
In October 2016, an intergovernmental agreement was signed in Istanbul to start construction of the underwater part of Turkish Stream and an onshore transit string to the border of Turkey with neighboring countries. The works were completed in November 2019, and on the first day of 2020 commercial supplies of "blue fuel" began via the pipeline. The opening ceremony was held on January 8 with the participation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin.
After the explosions at the Nord Stream and Nord Stream-2 pipelines in 2022 and the stoppage of Russian gas transit through Ukraine from January 2025, the Turkish Stream remained the only operating route for natural gas supplies from Russia to Europe. It is of great importance for consumers from the southern and southeastern parts of the European region, especially Hungary and Serbia.
AFU attack on Turkish Stream - what is known
On Monday, January 13, the Russian Defense Ministry reported an attempt by the AFU to attack the Turkish Stream compressor station in the Krasnodar region. Russian air defense units shot down nine aircraft-type drones in the sky above the facility.
The station's personnel were not injured, and serious damage on the ground was also avoided. The building and equipment of the gas-measuring station suffered minor damage due to falling fragments, but thanks to the work of Gazprom's emergency response teams on duty, the consequences of the strike were promptly eliminated.
Now the Russkaya station is operating in a normal mode, there was no disruption in gas pumping.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the AFU attack on the Turkish Stream infrastructure a dangerous link in the chain of sabotage on Russian gas pipelines.
"This is a new, very dangerous for European consumers link in the chain of actions on explosions, the organization of carrying out explosions, sabotage on the Nord Stream," he said while talking to reporters.
In turn, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Economic Relations Peter Szijjarto said that the attack on the Russkaya station is tantamount to an attack on the sovereignty of the countries that receive gas through the "Turkish Stream". He added that the pipeline is a reliable transportation route that allows transit states to comply with their contractual obligations and expressed hope that its safety and operability will be respected.
European Commission (EC) spokeswoman Anna-Kaisa Itkonen also expressed concern over the attack on the Turkish Stream compressor station, but noted that the EC had not received any comments from the Ukrainian side on the matter.
"We continue to monitor everything related to energy security, but we cannot say anything regarding this attack from an energy point of view," she told a news conference in Brussels.
